RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Nathan Blue of Radford ran to victory in the 110-meter hurdles during the OIA track championships. At left is Leilehua's Sean Kenigton and right is Kapolei's Shenon Moore.

Radford, Kahuku earn championships

Two of the most dreaded X-factors in high school track and field came into play yesterday at the Oahu Interscholastic Association championships.

The Prom and The False Start nullified each other, however, and Radford, with a boost from The Unexpected Star, held on to edge defending champion and host Mililani by one point in the boys meet, 83-82.

It is the Rams' 18th OIA title but first since 1998.

Another big variable, The Freshman Phenom, dominated the girls meet, as Zhane Santiago led Kahuku to its first OIA championship with three first places and a second.

Radford's Christopher "C.J." Rainey was expected to dominate the boys meet the way Santiago did the girls. He did win the 400 (50.14) and anchored the winning 4x100 (42.58, a meet record). But Rainey was disqualified for a false start in the 100 meters, in which he was heavily favored. He also was scratched from the 200 and the 4x400.

"Just tired," Rainey said. "I gave it everything I had in the 400, and I was dizzy and tired."

Despite the loss of many potential points from Rainey, the Rams led by 10 with three events left. But one of them was the pole vault, where Mililani's Cameron Daugherty won with a record 14 feet, 6 inches and teammate Eric Roth was fourth. It gave the Trojans a one-point lead entering the final event, the 4x400.

The meet would be decided with the Radford and Mililani teams both not at full strength; Rams sprints coach Sidney Patton held Rainey out as a precaution, and the two of the Trojans' regular participants had left the meet for the senior prom.

Enter Radford junior Christopher Nichols.

"I just came out here to support my teammates," said Nichols, who wasn't entered in any other event. "I was just sitting up there in the bleachers and Coach told me to get warmed up."

Nichols ran the first leg and put the Rams in the lead. Ikaika Kamaka, Dominqtay Campbell and Jonathan Atangan did the rest, and Radford won in 3:29.95. Mililani was second by a second.

"It's a team sport," Rainey said. "When one person's out another steps in, and that's what Christopher did. It ain't all about me."

In the girls meet, Santiago won both hurdles events and the triple jump and was second in the long jump, personally accounting for 38 of Kahuku's 86 points. Radford was second with 55.

"I just had to run through the pain and not give up," said Santiago, who competed with a tightly wrapped right quadriceps. "I got a lot of advice from my dad (jumps coach Keala Santiago) and grandfather (Louis Santiago)."

Kahuku coach Garth Spurrier said seniors Juleesa Kawaauhau, Lani Speer and Ashley Burt and others also contributed to the victory; Speer, Burt and sophomore Alysha Cummings combined with Santiago to place second in the 4x100.

Kawaauhau contributed to the Red Raiders' massive point-gathering in the field events with third places in the shot and the discus.

Speer said Kahuku's championship was a long time coming.

"And not just for our four years. We've got some coaches who have been here 25 years," Speer said. "But we couldn't have done it without Zhane. She was our firecracker."

Santiago was also running for her sister, Tajana -- the defending champion in the hurdles who was out with stress fractures.

Several other individuals were outstanding:

» Kaiser's Dawson Vorderbruegge ran 8:59.99 to break the old record in the 3,000 meters by nearly 28 seconds.

» Sarah Clapp of Kaiser also doubled, dominating the 1,500 (5:09.69) and 3,000 (a meet record 11:03.71). She came within 0.14 of a second of tripling, but was edged at the finish of the 800 by Marriama Lane of Leilehua (2:26.01).